Israeli Arab lawmakers support Durban II summit

Israel may be officially boycotting the UN Human Rights Council anti-racism conference in Geneva, but some of its more vocal Arab Knesset members are very visibly in attendance.

On Sunday, MK Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Balad Party, addressed a pre-summit event in Geneva, telling those gathered that, despite his obvious freedom and ability to represent his community at the highest political levels, he is a "Palestinian victim of Israeli racist apartheid."

Zahalka's Balad colleague, MK Said Nafa, followed up by claiming that racism is on the rise in Israel, as evidenced by the recent electoral success of Israel Beiteinu, a party that demands national loyalty from all of Israel's citizens.

While he did not attend the conference, outspoken Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi made sure his voice was also heard, telling delegates of the Geneva gathering via the media that racism in Israel is becoming mainstream.

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